


The Black Flame

by Ciriun



Category: Final Fantasy XV, Monster Hunter (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dragons, Gen, Hunters & Hunting, Internal Conflict, Monsters, Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-03-12 09:50:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13544847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ciriun/pseuds/Ciriun
Summary: Noctis hasn't been feeling well and he knows exactly why. With his friends at his side, he makes the journey to a certain abandoned castle to fulfill his duty and put an end to a terrible cycle of death and destruction.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fic I've ever written and posted from my own Monster Hunter continuity. It is based heavily around certain theories and headcanons that I have about the setting which may or may not be true and might conflict with existing or future canon. That said, I've tried to use as many details from the games and other material to support it as I can.
> 
> Since so much of this is stuff I've made up and Monster Hunter is light on continuity to begin with, this should be fairly readable to fans of just FFXV. I'm not sure how much appeal it will have to fans of just MH, but I don't think it will be too confusing for them.

“So this is the place.” Noctis stopped to stare up at the high stone walls, crumbling with age but still standing tall. His gaze dropped to the heavy gate in front of them. “Gladio?”

“Got it.” His companion stepped forward and set to work opening the old gate. It was heavy, but he managed to shove it open with a long, wailing creak. Stepping through, he gave the courtyard a quick check for any potential danger before waving the others in.

    The courtyard was empty and lifeless. Even most of the grass was withered to the same dull color as everything else. As they walked Prompto moved up to Noctis’s side. “This place is giving me chills already, and we aren’t even inside yet.”

    “You know it’s only going to get worse, right?” Noctis reminded him.

    “Yeah, I know. But it’s too late to turn back now.”

    “Indeed.” Ignis agreed. “Noct has already been exhibiting the key symptoms. It shouldn’t be much longer.”

    “Good, I want to get this over with.” Noct pushed open the front doors on his own. The interior of the old castle wasn’t any more welcoming, but to him it felt strangely familiar. This was his ancestral home, and the voices that had recently started to whisper to him in his sleep were clearer here. They wanted him to continue the cycle. He had other ideas.

    They split up to search the rooms to be certain nothing had been foolish enough to try to take up residence in the castle. Most of the rooms were completely empty, or else held only piles of rubble and stray weeds. Noctis waited in the foyer, trying to ignore the tightness in his chest and block out the voices urging him forward. Only when his friends were at his side again did he dare to move on into the throne room.

    It was a vast, cavernous chamber, silent except for the occasional drip of water that fell from the gaping hole in the ceiling. Directly beneath it was a dais with an old, worn throne waiting to be claimed. They set up a small camp to one side of the doorway so the path out would be clear and began the final preparations.

    “Noct,” Ignis began impatiently, a pitch black shin guard in his hands. “I know you’re nervous, but please stop fidgeting.”

    “I can’t help it. My whole body feels strange.” He rubbed at his arms. They were stiff beneath the crawling skin and his hands had started to tremble.

    “You may be even closer than we thought. Prompto, Gladio, a hand if you could?” Both others joined him in the process of placing the armor on Noctis, saving the helmet for last. As soon as it was done, Ignis herded the others back and Gladio moved to the front of the group.

    Noctis wobbled unsteadily on his feet. The armor shouldn’t have been so heavy, but right then it felt like it was trying to crush him under its weight. He was burning up and his head spun as silent voices called to him. The rush of blood in his ears almost completely blotted out the sound of his friends voices. But they were there. He had to remember that. They were his friends, and they were right there waiting for him. He had to make it through this.

    He stumbled to one side, nearly falling, but something held him rigidly upright. Like a puppet being moved by unseen strings he staggered around out of control until his gaze caught on the throne. His throne. With heavy plodding steps he made his way to it. A numb hand steadied himself on one of the arms as he dropped into the seat. For a single moment the world froze and there was nothing but the sound of a beating heart.

    White hot pain seared through him. He gasped and pitched forward, toppling out of the throne. Somewhere far away he thought he heard someone call his name and when he raised his head he could just barely make out three vague figures across the room. He wanted to reach for them, but he couldn’t move.

    Flames rose up all over his body. They may have been burning him alive, or his body could have been tearing itself apart. Either way, he couldn’t feel it anymore. He couldn’t feel or see anything, and the only sound was the deep pounding of that heartbeat. His own. Blood burning with rage filled his body and he rose up, fueled by the fire within him.

    His senses came back in a rush. He took a breath and in the air he could smell the scent of the enemy. They were there, brazen enough to trespass in his castle. He unfurled his wings and gave a mighty roar that made the pitiful creatures before him cringe back in fear, and he took a deep breath, ready to release a burst of the searing flame inside of him that would turn them to ash in an instant.

    But something made him hesitate. He tried to focus his gaze on the three figures. There was Gladio, bravely facing him as his body shielded the other two. Ignis, watching him carefully and poised to react the moment he made the slightest move. And Prompto, shaking in fear but still daring to meet his eyes with a pleading look that begged him to come back.

    Very slowly and very carefully he let out the held breath filled with hot air and lowered his head to his friends. He made a low rumble deep in his throat, trying to let them know that he was alright, and they would be, too. The voices in his head were fading and with them the ever burning rage died down to nothing more than a smoldering ember. It would likely remain with him for the rest of his new life, but at least he had proven he could overcome it. That was the first step in breaking the cycle.

    Gladio approached first, setting a wary hand on his muzzle. Noctis pushed back against it and nearly shoved him over.

    “Hey, watch it. You’re a lot bigger now.” To soothe everyone’s nerves, he gave Noctis a casual swat with the back of his hand. Noct barely felt it.

    Seeing it was safe, Prompto cautiously moved in closer and ran a hand over the scales on his friend’s cheek. “Wow. You really did it. So, uh… now what?”

    Ignis joined them, resting a hand on Noctis as well. “Now we protect him from whatever threats may appear. Monsters, hunters, the entire Guild if we must. And we stay by his side, as we always have.”

    Noctis rumbled softly again, thanking his friends for being there. They had kept him from getting lost to the rage that had overcome every previous king of Schrade. He closed his eyes, listening to the steady pounding of the heart inside his body. It wasn’t just his anymore. It was his father’s, his ancestors’, and somewhere so far back the memory was almost lost, the very first of his kind. Within him beat the undying heart of the Fatalis.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since a couple of people asked, this story is continuing. I hope you guys will like where it goes!

For as long as he could remember, Noctis had heard the story of the Black Flame. Not the little rhyme that ordinary people still somehow recalled to this day, but the true story, one that had been passed down through his family line. The story of the last king of Schrade. He could still picture himself lying curled up in his bed as his father told it to him.

The kingdom of Schrade had once been the biggest and most powerful in all the land, and its king was a mighty dragonslayer. He traveled far and wide, hunting down elder dragons and claiming trophies from them to forge a powerful set of armor. He was a hero to his people.

    But the armor was as steeped in hatred as it was the strange and potent blood of the elder dragons. The longer the king wore it, the less like himself he became. Once wise and benevolent, he turned cruel and selfish. His madness grew worse and worse until the hatred within the armor overcame him entirely and he transformed into a Fatalis, an elder dragon so fearsome that all other monsters fled before it. He took to the skies and flew across his kingdom, burning everything in his path to ash.

    Whether by luck, fate, or the last shred of humanity left in the king, an heir to throne managed to survive the devastation. He grew and trained and one day returned to slay the Dragon. Here the details got fuzzy. The version his father had always told him said that the son knew what had become of his father and forged armor from him as a tribute. It wasn’t until much later while searching for more information that they had unearthed and pieced together other accounts. Some said the son thought the dragon had killed his father. In others he didn’t forge the armor until the dragon had returned to life three times. Still others said it took generations before it was discovered that if left undisturbed the dragon would revive.

    But all the stories ended the same, with the cycle of each heir slaying their predecessor only to become the next dragon. A new set of armor had to be made from the dragon or else it would return to life, and once made the armor would compel the rightful heir to wear it. No one had been able to resist it or escape their fate, and those who tried only made matters worse.

    The cycle had changed some over the years. By his father’s time it had become traditional for the king to form a hunting party of his strongest and most trusted friends to accompany him and slay him when he succumbed. It seemed to have originated from one of the many failed plans to break the cycle, the logic being that if the heir didn’t kill the dragon then maybe they wouldn’t be targeted to become it. Obviously that hadn’t worked.

    Noctis had a different plan, and so far it seemed to be working. He’d been a Fatalis for nearly two weeks now and had only destroyed a couple of pillars and part of one wall. He hadn’t lost himself to the hatred, although he could still feel it pulsing deep in his chest. As long as he could keep it like that, there was hope.

    Currently he was lying at the back of the main hall watching his friends. They had made that their primary camp so the throne room could be all his when he wanted it. Smaller side rooms were gradually being cleaned up and reclaimed so they would have a proper home, but work was slow as they were all more focused on other things.

    Like studying. Ignis had become a Scrivener years ago for the sole purpose of collecting as much information about elder dragons and the old kingdom as he could in the hope of finding clues that might help save his friend from his cursed fate. Once they had been certain Noctis was stable in his new form, he and Prompto had trekked back to civilization to retrieve supplies and a collection of books and scrolls that still needed to be scoured for any further details that could help them. So now he and Gladio were hard at work reading, leaving Prompto to try to keep Noct from getting too bored.

    They’d all had their own ways of acclimating to their friend suddenly being a dragon. Prompto’s was to ignore all of his self preservation instincts and force himself to be as close to Noct as possible whenever he could. That was why he was currently seated on the dragon’s foreleg, leaning back against his upper arm as if the whole limb was nothing but a big lounge chair. It couldn’t have been very comfortable given how hard Noct’s hide was, but he tried to make it look like it was.

    A soft rumble from the dragon made him jump and look up at the tremendous gold eye watching him. “Uh, hey. What’s up?”

    Another deep, low sound answered him. So far Noctis had found that the worst part about being a monster was that none of his friends could understand him anymore, and what passed for speech from him couldn’t be anything but menacing no matter how hard he tried. Not for the first time Noctis was wishing he could have been cursed to be literally anything else.

    “Um…” Prompto chewed on his lip, trying to figure out how to respond to the random noises he was fairly certain were supposed to mean something. “Are you hungry?” It was a good guess. Being a great big dragon, Noct was hungry a lot.

    He was sure the snort he got in response sounded frustrated. “Okay, not that. Hm… Bored?”

    The groan that answered sent a shiver down his spine, but at the same time he swore it sounded just like how Noct used to whine about things like getting up in the morning or being given vegetables. Yup, definitely bored. “Got it. Let’s see, there’s gotta be something we can do. How about…” He trailed off, one foot tapping restlessly against the armored skin beneath him as he thought. “We could… Go for a walk?” It wasn’t the best idea, but they were kind of short on things they could still do together.

    The half-lidded squint to the dragon’s eye as he answered was his equivalent to a smile. Prompto smiled back and hopped down from his leg to go disturb their companions. “Hey, me and Noct are going out for a little while.”

    Ignis glanced up from his book, eyes flicking from Prompto to the dragon behind him. “Don’t go too far. And if you happen to find any patches of edible plants in the area, make a note of them.”

    “Will do.” Prompto confirmed as he ducked into one of the side rooms, the one they were currently using as gear storage, and popped back out again in a moment with his bow gun. He gave it a quick once over to be certain everything was in order before slinging it onto his back and waving to Noctis. “All set.”

    Noctis rose, drawing the attention of all three of his friends. Very, very carefully he stepped around the campsite, keeping close track of Ignis and Gladio as he placed each talon. It had to be nerve wracking for them to have him pass so close, but they didn’t let it show on their faces. Moving around Prompto made him even more nervous since he didn’t stay still, but if he had one skill almost as good as his shooting it was his dodging. He might end up out of sight, but Noct could trust he wouldn’t be under one of his feet.

    A nudge of his head opened the doors out to the courtyard. It was a good thing they were so big since it meant that Noctis only needed to duck and tuck in his wings to get out. Stepping out onto the stone of the courtyard, he took a deep breath of the fresh air, letting it out again as smoke and steam. The air here was always dry and stale, but it beat the mustiness and hints of decay that the castle added to it. Being outside also meant that he could stretch his wings, casting a wide shadow over the ground beneath him.

    “Woah…” The soft gasp of awe came from somewhere down by his side. Prompto had followed him out and was now slowly stepping back from him to see as much of him as he could. A single, slow flap of his wings as he refolded them sent a gust of air down that nearly blew his friend over. “Hey, careful with those things.”

    A massive head filled his view as Noctis lowered it to take a look at him. He swallowed back the fear that welled up inside him from having a dragon literally breathing on him and stuck out a hand to pat him. “I’m fine, just starting to think I’m going to need some heavier armor. Think I could rock some Alloy boots?”

    Noct drew his head back with an amused snort. Same old Prompto. He walked slowly so the gunner could keep pace with him. The castle was surrounded by barren, rocky mountains, but down in the valleys between them life had regained a hold. There was a path that twisted its way down from the peak the castle sat atop, but it was in bad shape after centuries of neglect, making it treacherous and slow to traverse.

    Prompto lead, picking his way down the path slowly and carefully, while Noct followed impatiently behind him. His talons gripped the rock with such ease that he could have climbed straight down if he wanted, and even that would have been slower and more effort than just flying down. But he was willing to put up with it.

    Or he was until a section of loose stone gave out under Prompto, sending him sliding down the rough rock face. Instincts took over and before he even knew what he was doing, Noctis had leapt after him, snatching him in one front talon as he swooped up to hover above the trail.

    Prompto’s heart was racing. It had all happened so quickly, the ground coming up to meet him and then just as suddenly falling away. He tore his eyes away from staring at the empty space between him and any solid surface and instead looked up at the face of the dragon turned down to him. “I-I’m okay. Just a few scrapes.” He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. “Thanks for catching me.”

    And more importantly, Noctis thought with relief, not crushing him. He’d been leaving most physical contact with his friends up to them since whenever he tried it he tended to knock them over, so the idea of picking any of them up hand been a concerning prospect. Now that he was doing it he was finding it easier than expected. It was still probably safest when the person in question had armor of some sort on just to be safe, but even without it he felt like he could avoiding maiming anyone.

    “Uh, are you… gonna put me down?” Normally being held by a monster didn’t mean anything good. It took a lot of effort to remind himself that Noctis wasn’t going to start gnawing on him like usually happened when he found himself in this position.

Noct looked down at the path where a few small pebbles were still tumbling down. He could find a safe spot nearby to put Prompto. Or… He bent his head to give his friend what he hoped would be understood as a reassuring nudge, tightened his grip just a little bit more, and looked down into the valley.

“Uh, Noct? What are you doing? You’re not… Oh no, you are.” He wrapped his arms around the dragon’s ankle just as his long body began to arc downward. The first dipping swoop made him feel like his stomach was about to drop out of him. He squeezed his eyes shut and willed himself not to be sick. The dive turned into a gentler spiral and he dared to look again.

“Wow…” The view was breathtaking. He’d been on airships before, but they were slow and ponderous and had to stay high up to avoid attracting unwanted attention. They didn’t twist and weave through narrowing valleys with towering walls of stone around them and the lush forests coming up beneath them.

Noct found a clear spot by the edge of a wide stream and slowed so he could make a vertical landing. Carefully he lowered himself down onto just his back legs and set Prompto down, going back to all fours so he could prod his friend with his muzzle, asking as best as he could if he was alright.

Being shoved at by an elder dragon worked to keep Prompto from sitting there in a daze, and it gave him something to brace himself on as he stood on legs that wobbled weakly under him. “That was… wow. It was incredible.”

A poorly placed nudge of concern accidently made the gunner’s knees buckle, leaving him seated on the dragon’s nose. He started to push himself off with an apology on his lips, but a thought stopped him. Noct was worried, and acting like everything was still somehow normal would put him at ease. So instead he took a chance and leaned back to lie on the dragon’s face, legs dangling off either side. “I cannot believe that really happened. Flying, on a dragon!  Well, sort of.”

Noct snorted amusement, keeping his head steady under his friend. They were having lots of new experiences. Like having someone draped across his face. It was weird, but also comforting to have Prompto treat his new body like furniture. Better to be a couch than a scary dragon.

After a minute or two Prompto climbed down, helped by Noctis holding his head down to the ground for him. “Thanks. This is a nice spot, isn’t it? Want to go take a look around?” A sound like distant thunder answered him. “Great, let’s go!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if anyone was expecting angst and drama or anything like that. Turns out this is going to be kind of slice of life, at least for this chapter. Things will get a little more exciting later, but expect more interaction than action.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from my medical hiatus! Everything is fine now, but since work is picking up I probably won't be updating as frequently as I was.

    The forest was quiet, if you ignored the sounds made by an elder dragon forcing his way through the foliage. Any creature with a hint of sense had already fled, making for an unusually peaceful walk. It would have been eerie if it wasn’t for the crunching of branches and irritated snorting from Noct.

    “This is nice, isn’t it?” Prompto asked, glancing over his shoulder at his friend. The grunted answer was fairly noncommittal. “Well it’s better than being cooped up in the castle anyway.”

    Noct had to agree to that, only a little grudgingly. Nature walks weren’t really his thing, but the forest was a lot less dull and stuffy and the soft earth felt good under his talons. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time he’d been away from the castle since his transformation, not counting a few flights to test his wings. It was definitely a different experience. For one thing he could really smell the forest. Plants, earth, even the lingering scents of the creatures that normally inhabited the area, each scent distinct but they blended together as if they were all part of one single living thing. Like the forest itself was alive.

    He raised his head to take in a deep breath of that scent, but a loud crunch uncomfortably close to his ear made him stop with a startled grunt. He tried to turn his head to look for the cause of the noise only to feel something resisting the movement. Snorting out smoke, he twisted harder against it.

    “Noct?” Prompto stopped and turned to look back at the suddenly thrashing dragon wreathed in a haze and immediately identified the problem. “Woah, hey, calm down! You’re caught on a branch!”

    Reminding himself that the snarl he got as answer was probably just his friend cursing the branch and definitely not a threat directed at him, Prompto closed the distance between them and put a hand on Noct’s foreleg, holding that position until he was certain the one golden eye he could see was focused on him.

    “You okay?” He asked, a stupid question but he needed some response to indicate that Noct was calm and paying attention to him, that it was still him in there and not something much worse. A still smoky snort was good enough for that. “Hang on, I got you.”

    Taking a few steps back, Prompto surveyed the situation. Noctis’s left set of horns were tangled among the branches of a sizable tree. No doubt with enough force the dragon could take the entire thing down, but that wouldn’t guarantee he’d be released from it. So step one would have to be separating the branch from the rest of the tree. Easy, or it would have been if they’d had Gladio with them. A single swing of his greatsword would solve that problem. Or Ignis could have sliced it up with his dual swords. But they weren’t there, which limited their options. A lot.

    “Okay. Okay, I can do this.” Prompto murmured to himself as he unslung his bowgun and loaded in the ammo. He looked up into the big gold eye that was watching him, the dragon’s expression as unreadable as ever. “Right. So, uh, Noct, you trust me, right?”

    The big head bobbed slightly in as clear an answer as he could give. It wasn’t hard to see where Prompto was going with this, and as unsettling as it was to watch him take aim in the direction of Noct’s own head, he really did trust him. He was a good shot and he wouldn’t even think of taking a shot like this unless he was completely certain of his aim. So all Noctis had to do was keep calm and hold still.

    The loud crack of the bowgun firing was familiar, but the way it made the branch jerk at his horns still made Noctis flinch.

    “Almost got it. Just one more shot, I think.” Prompto’s heart was pounding. Horrible scenarios of him missing and shooting his friend kept playing through his head. As he reloaded, his gaze wandered in a futile searched for any alternative, or failing that some hint of reassurance that he wouldn’t screw up in a terrible, permanent way. Something, anything to get his mind off the many things that could wrong.

    Inevitably his eyes were drawn down to the glowing gem or heart or whatever it was on Noct’s chest that pulsed an eerie blue glow through channels between his scales. True this was Noctis, his friend, but it was also an elder dragon, a creature more powerful than he could imagine. Could a single stray shot even damage something like that? Even if he did shoot him right in the head, would it even hurt?

    He wasn’t going to find out, but the thought that he would be in more danger from the possible ricochet was weirdly reassuring. Steadying himself, he took aim at the branch again and fired off another shot. The wood splintered, doing no more harm to the dragon than shaking a few leaves onto him. With a deep sigh of relief he shoved the bowgun back into its holster and smiled up at his friend. “It’s close enough, just give it a little pull.”

    A quick twist of his serpentine neck and Noct snapped the branch loose, leaving it dangling comically from his head. He shook his head once, then lifted a foreleg to scratch at it, scraping some pieces loose but leaving almost as much still affixed.

    Prompto watched, trying not to laugh at the sight of the mighty elder dragon clawing bits of tree branch out of his horns. A few muffled giggles and snorts might have escaped, so he wasn’t entirely shocked when the dragon’s head turned to him with a small growl. “Sorry, but you did look kind of…” Another laugh threatened to escape as he got a good look at the dragon. “You, uh, you’ve still got a little…”

    The growl deepened and the head swept closer, enough to make Prompto stumble back in surprise. “Hey, careful. What are you doing?”

    Giving up on attempts at speech, Noctis very, very carefully gave Prompto a light push with his horns. It still knocked him over, but he deserved that much.

    “Okay, either you’re just mad at me or you want a hand with your new accessories. Broken sticks aren’t really your style.”

    Noctis couldn’t help giving an amused snort to that and helpfully tipped his head so Prompto could use a horn to pull himself up. He waited patiently as the gunner deftly plucked the remaining scraps from where they had wedged themselves and brushed away any stray splinters.

    “There we go, good as new.” He gave the dragon a friendly pat on the cheek before stepping back to give him room to move. “Just watch your head from now on.”

    A frustrated rumble answered him. Sometimes Noct’s new body worked effortlessly, like when he’d caught Prompto from falling, but he was still making stupid mistakes like banging his head, or tail, or wings into things. He started forward again, trying to pay attention to where each part of him was. He knew from the faded memories that had added themselves to his own when he’d changed that he was capable of maneuvering through terrain like this. The instincts were all there, too, he just needed to find that balance of tapping into them without letting them overcome him, preferably whenever he wanted and not just when one of his friends was in danger.

    The trees around them were getting thicker, making navigating through them as a dragon that much harder. Noctis was about to call to Prompto and turn around when the gunner broke into a sprint and slid to his knees in front of a large, gnarled tree.

    “Noct, check it out! Mushrooms!” He held one aloft, letting the dragon lean in to sniff it. “I know they’re not your favorite, but Ignis did tell us to report stuff like this to him.”

    For a moment Noct forgot himself enough to try to smile, baring knife like teeth at his friend and hastily drawing back when it made him flinch. It was a relief when Prompto laughed as he picked himself up. “I think that’s the most excited I’ve ever seen you get over mushrooms. Does that mean you want one?”

    Noct easily lifted his head out of reach of the fungus now being waved at him. He wanted to explain that while his opinion on them hadn’t changed, he was happy to have found something that would make his friends’ lives there a little easier. Being hunters they were all used to being away from civilization for long periods and living off the land, but moving to an abandoned castle where no one else was even allowed to go without special permission from the Guild was asking a lot of them.

    He settled for turning his back on Prompto, being careful not to hit him with his tail in the process, and starting to walk back. At least that would make his feelings about mushrooms clear.

    “Hey, wait up!” Prompto shoved the mushroom into his pack and began to jog after the retreating dragon, ducking around his side to get back in front of him where he was fairly certain they both preferred him to be. “Guess we’re heading back now? I am so not looking forward to climbing all the way back up. Whose idea was coming down here anyway?”

    “And you know,” Prompto was still going on as they arrived back at the clearing where they had started, “my armor isn’t so thick that I can’t feel it when… huh? Why’d you stop? You’re not stuck on something again, are you?”

    Noctis was looking at, no, watching him. His stare was intense, a look that made Prompto want to run but also turned his legs to jelly. “Noct? You’re staring at me and it’s kind of creepy.”

    One big, claw tipped talon lifted off the ground and reached out to him. Prompto was frozen in place, unable to make himself move as it closed around him and lifted him off the ground, raising him up to the level of the dragon’s head. A gold eye studied him from a scant few feet of distance, then the head turned so the muzzle was pointed at him. For a couple of terrifying seconds Prompto was certain a full set of dragon teeth was going to be the last thing he’d ever see, or a brilliant flash of flames, but instead the nose butted gently against his shoulder.

    Prompto let out the breath he hadn’t noticed he was holding and with it all the tension went out of his body. The dragon was nuzzling him in what he couldn’t decide between being an attempt to make him feel better, an apology, or both. “Noooct, don’t do that to me! You nearly scared me to death!”

    A puff of warm breath ruffled his hair. Well, at least Noct clearly had the hang of the whole not nearly squishing people thing. “Why’d you grab me, anyway?”

    His answer was a pair of wings as black as night unfurling. “You’re… going to fly us back up?” His voice caught and trembled, a mix of lingering shock from thinking he was about to die and the fresh rush of anxiety that came with the idea of being carried off into the sky by a dragon. By Noct, who had brought him safely down here the same way, and it actually hadn’t been that bad. In fact it had been kind of incredible, and now he was getting a second chance at it. He pushed his fears back and grinned. “Yeah, let’s do it!”

    The mighty wings beat at the air and powerful hind legs pushed free of the ground. In a rush of wind the dragon took to the air and soared up over the trees. Prompto watched the ground shrink away under them as they went higher and higher. Individual trees melted together into a sea of leaves and the little clearing sank under rolling green waves. Now the valley was one smooth blanket of green that crept up to the feet of the mountains around it.

    The mountains. His gaze traced their bare, rocky sides up to their craggy peaks. Some still bore scars left by previous dragons as they had lashed out at the world around them. They were a stark contrast to the creature that was now carrying him securely locked in a grip stronger than steel but just firm enough that he was in no danger of slipping out of it. It would have been better if his arms had been free, but maybe next time…

    Next time. Yes, there was definitely going to be a next time. And a time after that and a time after that. Now that it was clear Noct could safely carry someone, travel by dragon could be a regular thing. Mountain climbing would be a thing of the past, replaced by this spectacular experience. Maybe someday it would get old, but for now Prompto intended to enjoy every second of it.

    The ride didn’t last long, Prompto would bet because Noct still didn’t feel entirely sure of himself carrying a passenger. It ended with them rising up over the castle and dipping back down to land in the courtyard. By the time his feet were back on solid ground, Ignis and Gladio were already coming to see what was going on. A good thing, too, because his legs weren’t ready to hold him just yet and he found himself falling back into Gladio’s arms.

    “What happened?” Ignis was demanding, trying to sound stern but worry was weakening his tone.

    “Nothing, we’re fine.” Prompto soothed as he tried to get his legs working. “He was just giving me a lift back up.”

    “You’re certain you’re alright?”

    “Yeah, totally. Just need a sec to get my land legs back. You know how flying is.”

    Added to Ignis’s usual fussing, now he found a big scaly head coming down, filling most of his view with shining black and gold. He stuck out a hand to rub Noct’s cheek. “I’m fine, for real! Ack, Gladio, what the hell!?”

    “No broken ribs. I think he’s telling the truth.”

    Prompto pulled away from the larger man’s uninvited grip around his middle and stumbled into the dragon’s face which he was able to push off of to get some space between himself and his fretting friends. “Of course I am! I got a little scraped up from slipping on the way down and that’s all.”

    “You fell on your way down?” Oh great, now he’d given Ignis something to really worry about.

    “Yeah, but Noct caught me, which is why I’m okay, really. Turns out he can carry a person just fine, no scratching or squashing or anything. See?” He gestured to his somewhat dirty but otherwise undamaged armor and how he was now standing steady on his own. “No damage.”

    Ignis let a soft sigh of relief escape. Scrapes could be tended to later if they even required any attention. He stepped closer to Noctis and placed a hand on his neck. “You’re improving faster than we expected.”

    Noctis returned the gesture with a careful nudge, only making him take a single step back to steady himself against it. It was still an improvement.

    “Oh, that’s right!” Prompto reached into his pack to proudly display the mushroom he’d retrieved. “How’s this?”

    “Hm, quite the specimen.” Ignis mused, inspecting the sample. “Prized not only by chefs, but mosswine as well. In fact it’s quite popular to many species. I dare say you may have found a prime hunting location.”

    “Really?” Prompto cocked his head to one side, thinking back on their walk. “We didn’t see anything.”

    “Because you scared them all off.” Gladio explained what seemed obvious to him. “Nothing is going to want to stick around when there’s an elder dragon stomping through. Next time let me take a look and maybe we’ll end up with some fresh meat for once.”

    While he didn’t appreciate the callous reminder that he frightened every living thing, Noctis was willing to ignore that in light of the chance at meat that didn’t have to be hauled home from miles away. The thought of sinking his teeth into a juicy roast mosswine was enough to make him drool.

    Gladio swatting his side snapped him out of daydreaming about meat. “Think you can find the spot again?” Noctis nodded. “Good. Dawn tomorrow, we’re going hunting.”

    The dragon’s long, whining groan was a familiar sound to everyone and a reminder that no matter how big and powerful he might be now, he was still the same old Noct.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that wraps up our Prompto focused slice of life section. Gladio is next, then we'll get Ignis. And after that, who knows? If there's something you want to see, let me know and I'll see if I can work it in. I do have a direction this is all headed, but I for one am in no rush to get there.
> 
> Also a question for readers. Do you want to know what gear everyone is using? I've been vague so far, but I can go back and add it in and continue with it going forward if it's important to you. (Also if you have suggestions for what gear you think they would have, definitely let me know.)
> 
> And if you're looking for a hunting buddy for MHW... I am waiting on the PC version! But my partner and co-creator of this take on the MH setting is a better hunter than I'll probably ever be, so feel free to leave your preferred contact info and I'll pass it along.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's it! So far this is a standalone, but if people like it and want to see more I have some ideas of where it could go. Because there is a lot more to being an Elder Dragon than humans know.


End file.
